San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-02-17
OUR AUSTIN LETTER.
AUSTIN, TEXAS, Feb. s, 1887.

AUSTIN, TEXAS, Feb. 8, 1887.
EDIToR FREE PREss:-The House
of Representatives continues on the
even tenor of its way, with now and
then n CLEAN of wit and humor, and
now and then a speech that rises to
the dignity of true oratory, All the
real excellent speakers of the House
are Congressional timber and per-
haps prospective path-finders through
the woods to congressional noml'
nation. Hence they are not too Of
ten shrinking on their legs, nor
making statements that will not bear
newspaper and popular criticism.
If the Legislature is to finish its
work in the constitutional period
there is not much time given for
members making reputationsas speak
ers. Nearly five hundred bills have
been introduced, and if all the time
was given to private and local bills,
duly considering each, all OF the time
would be consumed.
Mr.. Parks has introduced q bill
TO prevent the enticing away OF q
servant or laborer. Certainly this
will gladden. the heart OF the agricul-
turist in harvest time in certain sec
tons of this state, if the bill becomes
a law. [ do not know if the provis
ions of the law applies to servant
GIRLS or not If it does, the house
Keepers who have a good cook or
house girl, will clap their hands with
ioy. | am sure certain ladies Of my
acquaintance will be willing to get up
subscription and present Mr.. Parks
with gold medal with a housemaid
with broom in hand on one side, and
q cook broilng one of those women
who IRE always making good servants
discontinued on the other. Mr.. Parks
will make himself famous if the bill
does accomplish this object.
The writer has seen great many
legislative bodies, but none as sober
and hard working as the 10th Leg
islature. There are not more than
six men in the House whose faces
show that they are habitual users OF
alcoholic stimnlants,
Yesterday life was thrown into the
House in the discussion of MIR. Nc
Kinney's bill to increase the fees for
selling liquors. Mr. Lntimer said he
was the only honest, outright prohi-
bitionist in the Legislature, but that
placing such high license upon Ii
quors only the rich could drink whis
XIV and the poor man could not get
his rights. Mr.. McGaughey said in
reply to tho gentleman from Palo
Pinto that he was certainly surprised
at Mr.. Latimer's position, but from
the gentleman's description of saloons
he had certainly ''been there, Eli,
and that when he saw the temperance
men and the whisky men pulling at
the same end of the line, he thought
there was "nigger dead in the
woodpilc." Mr. johnson was in
favor of a high tariff upon malt Ii
ouors as well us upon distilled. Some
of those voting against the bill are
temperance men, and gave their votes
in Difference to the opinions and in
terests of their constituents. After
the vote Yesterday no one can doubt
but that the House is in favor of
temperance legislation aud that the
representative of the Texas Democ-
racy are not only temperate in their
habits, but they are willing and anX-
ious to pass any and all laws that
tend to build up the morals of the
people.
People living north of the Ohio
and Potomoc rivers, with few eXcop-
tons, have n wrong idea of the PEG
pie. politics, pleasures. manners and
morals of Texas. Tom Ocmltree in
New York City is looked upon as a
representative Texan statesman, and
the more champagne he has under
his vest. the more they imagine he
represents the people here. The
Northern idea OF Texas Is that our
Young men are as wild as bison that
formerly ranged the prairieS. and that
our young girls are as athletic rs the
Greek maiden that coutended in the
race. They imagine that we live
close To nature here. Fact Is. that
society Is here as polite. If not as fir
zeal and aesthetic as in the east. Our
voune men rs cultured. Il not as
slanrv. AMI cur young women ~
beautiful and as h,cOmiugly dressed.
. II not possessed of the advanced ideas
upou morals AMI marriage and mar
riagc. Il goes without saving that
Austin has about the brightest snri
CIV i'm the Siate. Whilc Austin has
not the push 81 Dallas. the E.usier %
Ii Worth. tig commerce " Nl-N.--
ton. Yet d has mon, pretty women 'o
tie ~g-1rs y-r3 ii.4u any pace iu
.ha Ssu,h Tie ET--HIll C-Gnrh
fllr j. rHv gong rr go tan 10. r1
h5l-c CLEsf C..sE LE4a.rl seems